Fan’s guide to the Big East Tournament

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, this week’s Big East Conference men’s basketball tournament is right up your alley.

In one of the most ambitious undertakings since James Naismith put up the peach baskets, the Big East expanded its championship to include all 16 teams. The result is a five-day, 15-game bacchanalia of basketball at Madison Square Garden starting Tuesday.

The rationale for enlarging the bracket was two-fold. First, there’s money to be made. No tickets were put up for public sale; all were sold in strips to the schools and other insiders. Second, the coaches of the league’s bottom-feeders were taking black eyes for missing out on what has grown into one of the biggest events on the hardwood calendar.

Now everyone has a chance. And to accommodate “everyone,” the league is employing a bracket that features byes and double-byes. No need to wear out the powerhouses any further. It’s bad enough that the tourney champion usually exits the Big Dance faster than a scalper unloading fake tickets.

To help readers make sense of all this largesse, here is a “Fan’s Guide to the (Very) Big East Tournament.”

To wit:

BEST-DRESSED COACH: Jay Wright has more buttons on his suit jackets than Villanova has losses. If Louisville’s Rick Pitino wears another white suit, all bets are off.

WORST-DRESSED COACH: Notre Dame skipper Mike Brey’s mock turtlenecks would fit right in at an Ivy League tea party or the set of The Brady Bunch.

NASTIEST DUNKER: Louisville’s Terrence Williams could probably throw down on a 13-foot rim. In the little-guy division, Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn has been spotted in orbit.

SWEETEST PASSER: The ball is a yo-yo for Pittsburgh point guard Levance Fields, who has fewer turnovers than a third-world dictatorship.

MOST LIKELY TO SEND THE BALL INTO THE SEATS: If you are sitting in the first five rows and Connecticut’s 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet is on defense, don’t check your text messages.

MOST LIKELY TO BRICK A BIG FREE THROW: Hack-an-Arinze doesn’t have a smooth ring to it, but that’s the plan if Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku is on the floor at the end of a close game. He’s 33-of-110 (30 percent) overall and a jaw-dropping 10-of-60 (16.7 percent) in conference play. The amazing thing is he leads the league in field-goal percentage (.681).

MOST LIKELY TO DRAIN A BIG FREE THROW: Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds doesn’t lead the league (81.8 percent), but no one has made more trips to the line in a big spot. Foul someone else.

MOST LIKELY TO GET HECKLED (Players): Between his constant yapping and off-the-court headlines, Syracuse guard Eric Devendorf hasn’t made many friends in visiting arenas this season.

MOST LIKELY TO GET HECKLED (Coaches): Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun’s public tirade in defense of his handsome salary didn’t exactly strike a chord with the common man.

MOST LIKELY TO GET HECKLED (Refs): Fans often confuse Tim Higgins and Jim Burr, but it really doesn’t matter. The ref you don’t recognize who’s blowing all those calls? Probably Wally Rutecki.

FIRST-ROUND GAME YOU’LL WANT TO SEE: It won’t be an oil painting, but Georgetown-St. John’s may spill some blood. It’s a rematch of last week’s ultra-physical overtime tilt, won in comeback fashion by the Johnnies.

FIRST-ROUND GAME YOU’LL WANT TO MISS: A raisin has more juice than the noon snoozer between Cincinnati and DePaul. Take a long lunch or a nice nap.

SECOND-ROUND GAME YOU’LL WANT TO SEE: The Georgetown-St. John’s winner will have a serious chance to take down reeling Marquette.

LEAST LIKELY TO GIVE CHANGE TO THE GUY PLAYING THE TRUMPET IN MSG’S PLAZA: Jim Calhoun. “Not a dime back,’” right?

BIGGEST MISNOMER: If your ticket is in the 400-level “mezzanine,” just keep going up.

BEST PLACE TO UNWIND: Wherever Bill Raftery is hanging out.

MOST LIKELY TO CHOKE IN THE NCAAs: Whoever wins the Big East Tournament, especially if it’s Pittsburgh.

Pages

About New Jersey Hoops Haven

This is an example of a WordPress page, you could edit this to put information about yourself or your site so readers know where you are coming from. You can create as many pages like this one or sub-pages as you like and manage all of your content inside of WordPress. commentsmore →